Our Top Five / Drinking Holes >>

You simply can’t reduce a list to five places to enjoy a beer in a nation with a penchant for partying . So we didn’t. In keeping with the theme, we’re going to see double and give you ten.

Here is our top ten, selected on the basis of atmosphere, individuality and general craic. We’re still working hard on testing those places we’ve not made it to…

The Jolly Roger (Parkhurst, Johannesburg)

This is a pub, pure and simple. Not a bar. Not a restaurant. But a drinking pub frequented by the young and thirsty of Johannesburg’s northern suburbs. Half-price pizza night on Wednesday is legendary amongst the student population, but on most nights you will find a good atmosphere, some rock anthems playing on the juke box and enough alcohol being consumed to wonder where all the designated drivers sit! Get an upstairs table on the balcony for a sunset over the cityscape and move to the smoky, heaving downstairs area once sufficiently lubricated. A very friendly clientele, we’ve made and forgotten many friends here.

The Prawn Shack (somewhere near Zinkwazi, KwaZulu-Natal)

This place is so special, we only tell our best friends how to get there. It is literally a shack that serves only prawns. But in a set course menu and in many different formats, the piece de resistance being the live shrimp in tequila for ‘desert’. Situated on top a dune next to a stunning beach, this is the sort of place to order some wine, sit back and admire the prawn.

Ronnies Sexshop (Route 62, Western Cape)

Ronnie didn’t want a sex shop. He wanted Ronnie’s Shop, but his friends jokingly added graffiti to his new sign. The legend had started. Situated on Route 62, this is a bar in the middle of no-where frequented by tourists, bikers, families and the just plain curious in equal numbers. Bring a braai (BBQ) pack, use the open fires and enjoy. Only those who were looking for something else (!) will be disappointed.

House of Thunder (Malkerns Valley, Swaziland)

This live music venue is the place to go in Swaziland. Hosting a wide spectrum of local and African musicians playing traditional to dance music, House of Thunder has come a long way in the five years since it opened. You can let your hair down mixing with the eclectic locals, but check their events schedule to make sure you hit it on the right night.

The Woodsman (Sabie, Mpumulanga)

Great food (the speciality being Greek), locally-brewed draught beer, a big deck looking down the valley and a central bar where you can strike up conversation with a local or a passing biker (there is reserved parking for different types of bikes) make this a great little place if you’re on your way to Kruger or exploring the escarpment.

Zinkwazi Campsite (Zinkwazi, Kwazulu-Natal)

Raised and situated right in the jungle-like forest, this is special for the setting. Through the trees you look down onto the pristine lagoon and beaches beyond. It can apparently get quite lively when a backpacker ‘truck’ is in town, but we enjoyed the peacefulness and listening to stories from the eccentric bar-staff.

La Med (Camps Bay, Cape Town)

La Med is the place to go on a Friday or Saturday night in Cape Town. On other days this is essentially just a bar with some outdoor tables and some open space, but it is transformed into a heaving mass of mainly young Capetonians in the mood for a proper ‘jol’ overlooking the Atlantic and Camps Bay.

Long Street (City Bowl, Cape Town)

Situated in the heart of town, Long Street reminds us of what we thought New Orleans used to be like before Katrina said her piece. It is literally a long street littered with bars - many with great balconies and playing live music - that are open to the early hours. A place to see and be seen, but safe and stylish with it. Ownership and fashions change rapidly so we recommend just taking a wander and seeing what you like the look of.

The Pig and Whistle Hotel (Bathurst, Eastern Cape)

The Pig and Whistle claims to be the oldest pub in South Africa and is a national monument to boot. A wood-panelled lounge, good pub grub and open fires, this certainly recalls memories of olde England and is a great place to warm up on cold winter evenings. The friendly staff offer good local advice.

The Dullstroom Inn (Dullstroom, Mpumalanga)

A pub with a great history and friendly locals who will expound upon that history without much invitation. Hearty meals, draught beer and log fires create the ambience where you can wax lyrical about the trout you caught that morning, or will catch tomorrow.